Exploring Biblical Prayer (Vol. 1): How Bible People Won or Lost At Prayer

By Christopher Shennan

As useful as books on prayer by human authors can be, actual Biblical examples of Prayer are even better. Men may tell us of their own experiences in their pursuit of God through prayer, and benefit us greatly. Prayer as revealed in Scripture can provide us with an even better idea of what prayers please God, and of those that do not. This book, and those to follow, seeks to present prayer as the Bible describes it. With no pretense to personal expertise, I send forth this book, confident that God will bless His own Word.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu Publishing Services
• Release date: Apr 10, 2014
• ISBN: 9781483409290

Book preview

Spirit.

LESSON ONE

Purpose in Prayer

Few of us can perform well if we are not convinced of the value of what we do -- and why we do it. If there is a worthwhile purpose behind a task, and we believe in that purpose, the drudgery is removed. We will perform that task with greater diligence and enthusiasm.

For that reason it is important to understand the purpose of prayer. If we approach prayer as a mere duty; or as a necessary infringement upon our time; or as a valuable religious act, we will hardly get beyond first base. It is unlikely we will ever discover a life of prayer such as God designed for us.

But if we discover the true purpose of prayer through Bible study and the ministry of the Holy Spirit, who knows what might happen? It is certain our usefulness to God and man will be revolutionized. We will become channels for God’s blessing in a way we could never have imagined. Prayer will be transformed for us into a holy exercise. While it will never be easy or void of spiritual conflict, we will be filled with such a sense of destiny that no device of Satan will easily defeat us.

What, then, is the purpose of prayer?

1. To Glorify the Father through the Son

And if you ask for anything in my name, I will do it for you so that the Father’s glory will be shown through the Son. If you ask me for anything in my name, I will do it. (John 14:13-14 – NCV)

One of the great catechisms of the Christian Church insists that the chief end of man (or the main purpose for his existence), is, …to glorify God, and enjoy Him forever.

The main purpose of prayer is to glorify God. It is not primarily to get things from God, though He delights to give what will be for our highest good. It is not to make us happy, though deep spiritual satisfaction will result from a life of prayer. When we pray to the Father in the Name of the Son, and the Son performs that request – God is glorified. That is the highest purpose of prayer.

Andrew Murray says: For this reason Jesus on His throne in glory will do what we ask in His name. Every answer to prayer He gives will have this as its object: When there is no prospect of the Father being glorified, He will not answer. So, with us as with Jesus, the essential element in our petitions must be that the glory of the Father be the aim and the end, the very soul and life of our prayer. (The Believers School of Prayer - p.115 - Bethany House Publishers - Copyright 1982)

Jesus constantly longs to glorify the Father, so He will lose no time in answering a prayer that in the smallest way brings glory to the Father.

When this great truth dawns upon us we will begin to know what prayer is all about.

There is virtually no end to the categories of prayer that can glorify God if they are prayed with the right attitude and in faith. Yet there are two matters specifically mentioned in Scripture that bring glory to God. Both of them will bear praying about.

(i) The first is in the area of GOOD WORKS:

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 5:16 – KJV)

We should pray about our works. They do not save us, but they do bring glory to God when we perform them out of a motive of love toward God. No Christian should be fruitless, or forgetful of good works. Sometimes Evangelicals have stressed Salvation by faith to such a degree, that good works get pushed into the background. Yet they are an integral part of God’s plan for our lives. Immediately after telling us that nobody is saved by good works, the Apostle Paul continues: God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us to do good works, which God planned in advance for us to live our lives doing. (Ephesians 2:10 – NCV)

When we pray that God will produce good works in and through us, that prayer will be answered, since the result will bring glory to God. Provided we pray for the right reasons, a prayer for good works will reach God’s heart. Good works is one of the reasons we were created in Christ Jesus. Furthermore, God prepared those good works beforehand.

It is wonderful to realize that when we start praying for good works, God has already prepared them for us. We will be able to perform them because they are part of God’s plan for us. When we understand this, we will be able to move forward with great confidence. God is working in us, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. So, praying for good works will glorify God because when God answers, others will see those good works and glorify our Father in Heaven.

(ii) Another thing that glorifies God is PRAISE.

Many congregations have found that when they made it a point to praise God, things started happening in their church. The reason for this is that praise glorifies God: Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I show the salvation of God. (Psalm 50:23)

Imagine what would happen to our personal lives if we really learned to praise God in everything. Real praise is what I am talking about. If we learned in our public meetings to praise God from the heart without embarrassment, and without dead form, who knows what might happen? But thou [art] holy, O [thou] that inhabitest the praises of Israel. (Psalm 22:3)

Another purpose of prayer is:

2. To Bring Fullness of Joy to the Christian

Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy will be the fullest possible joy (John 16:24 – New Century Version)

Joy is a very important part of the Christian life. Without it we become uncertain and weak (worse, we are in danger of becoming sour). The book of Nehemiah assures us that the joy of the Lord is our strength.

A Christian who often experiences answered prayer cannot help but be joyful. Indeed, Jesus tells us the fullest possible joy will result from answers to our prayers.

Surely, this is one prescription many in the modern church need to have filled. Could it be that the psychological problems many Christians seem to be suffering (depression, uncertainty, unbelief, inner conflict, lack of spiritual growth, etc.) has more to do with an unproductive prayer life than the need to engage in endless psychological counselling. Answered prayer will undoubtedly produce, among other things, a joyful disposition.

Why would this be so? Simply because answered prayer gives valid testimony to the Eternal God’s active involvement in our lives. Some Christians go around with the secret sense that the world around them (things they can see, touch, or feel) are more real that the unseen spiritual world. As a result their Christian lives are subject to the vagaries and tyranny of circumstance. A healthy prayer life would effectively banish such a disposition. Regular answers to prayer would bring God out of the closet. His loving involvement in the details of our lives, even when His answers come in ways we do not anticipate, will always produce a joy and peace that surpasses human reasoning.

How else could Paul and Silas sing in prison (Acts 16:16-34) than by the conscious awareness that God was real, His promises were shown true by frequent demonstrations of answered prayer. God was not slow to demonstrate His pleasure in the faith of his servants. He caused an earthquake that opened the prison doors, and ultimately brought the jailer and his family to faith in Christ.

Joy is one of the neglected evangelistic tools of the church: there is little that will convince an unbeliever more of the reality of our faith in Christ, than to observe how we continue to express joy in the face of trial. They may even think we’re crazy, but they could hardly ignore such a demonstration.

Christian joy is an undervalued commodity in our times, and the world needs to see more of it along with our sound theological declarations. How can we experience more joy? The first step is to understand more fully that the purpose of prayer is to bring fullness of joy to the Christian.

3. To Grow in the Knowledge of God

Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation [is] thy people. (Exodus 33:13 - KJV)

We will deal with this verse in greater detail later. For now, note one supreme truth: Prayer, to Moses, was not only a means of getting things from God; it was a way to nurture a relationship. After forty years in the wilderness Moses knew God. And he had an awesome revelation of God at the burning bush. Yet Moses continues to pray, "…that I may know thee…"

Prayer is more than a religious exercise. It is the active participation of a human being with his or her God. How else can we pray always as the Scripture urges us to, except by seeing prayer as an unbroken two-way communication between God and His people.

Andrew Murray stopped suddenly in the midst of a Cape Town street, his head down. A policeman, who knew the minister well, was alarmed at the sight, thinking he may be ill, or suffering a heart attack. Rushing over, he just reached the minister when he looked up, an expression of joy on his face. In answer to the policeman’s enquiries, Andrew Murray said, I am fine. I just lost fellowship with my Lord for a moment. I wouldn’t take another step till that fellowship was restored.

Such is the power of prayer, not only to have our prayers answered, but to enter into ever deepening intimacy with God.

FOR HOME STUDY

1.   Try to find other Biblical purposes for prayer.

2.   Choose one or more characters from the Bible, and try to identify his or her purpose in prayer.

3.   What is one way we can glorify God? (Matthew 5:16) Can you think of any others?

4.   What effect will a strong, pure purpose in prayer have upon our Christian lives?

FOR FURTHER STUDY

Philippians 2:9-11; Ephesians 3:21; John 15:7-16; John 16:23; Matthew 7:7; Matthew 21:22; Mark 11:24; 1 John 3:22; 1 John 5:14-15.

Your Assignment:

Part 1

(i) Read the entire lesson again

(ii) Answer the Questions under For Home Study.

(iii) Look up all references under For Further Study.

Part 2

Read the lesson again from start to finish and answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper. Just a reminder, the answers to all the questions below are contained in the material you have just studied.

1.   Why is it important to understand the purpose of prayer?

2.   What is the MAIN purpose of prayer?

3.   When there is no prospect of the Father being glorified, what chance do we have of our prayers being answered?

4.   What two matters, specifically mentioned in Scripture, glorify God? How should this affect your prayer life?

5.   Why is joy important in the Christian life, and how important is it to you?

6.   How did joy operate in the lives of Paul and Silas?

7.   What is one of the surest methods of obtaining joy?

8.   What part does prayer play in getting to know God?

Part 3

Write a short essay (one or two paragraphs) outlining what this study has meant to you, and how you mean to implement its lessons in your life. Writing it down in this way will help imprint it more surely on your heart.

LESSON TWO

Direction in Prayer

And this is the boldness we have in God’s presence: that if we ask God for anything that agrees with what he wants, he hears us. If we know he hears us every time we ask him, we know we have what we ask from him (1 John 5:14,15 – New Century Version)

An old man I knew really well, Bert Sears, was fond of declaring, "Before I got saved I always did exactly what I wanted to do; after I got saved I also did exactly what I wanted to do. The difference is that before my conversion I always wanted to do what I wanted to do, after my conversion I always wanted to do what God wanted me to do. What I wanted changed from my will to God’s will." I can testify that Bert’s declaration was no idle boast; he lived his life based on his desire to do God’s will.

The most basic thing we need to know about prayer is that true prayer is inseparable from knowing and desiring God’s will, not our own. No prayer that is contrary to God’s will, will ever be answered to our profit; and no prayer prayed according to God’s will ever be denied. God sometimes grants stubborn requests for things that do not please Him, but they will not tend toward our greatest good. This aspect of prayer will be covered in another lesson.

If we, like Jesus, can say, I delight to do thy will, then doing exactly what we want to do is the right course to follow. God’s will is the highest law of the praying saint.

The highest expression of the Saviour’s life was to do the will of the Father. This can be seen:

(i) Through Prophecy

Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. (Hebrews 10:7)

(ii) Through His Own Testimony

And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please Him. (John 8:29)

(iii) Through His Own Example

And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt….He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away, except I drink it, thy will be done. (Matthew 26:39-42 - KJV)

Let us not pretend it is always easy to find God’s will. And once we find His will, it is only by Grace we are able to walk in it. Ask Abraham if he found it easy to bind Isaac to the altar and prepare to slay him. Ask Jacob if he did not limp after wrestling with the angel. Ask Moses why he argued with the LORD when he was being sent to Pharaoh to demand the release of the Israelites. But all these found Grace sufficient for their need.

On the other hand we must not let ourselves be deceived into believing God’s will is so difficult to find, we may as well not bother. It is God’s will that we know His will. Do you believe that? I hope so! Praying for God’s will is the one prayer that is in His will. You can be sure God will answer it, because he always answers those prayers that lie within His will.

Does that sound complicated? Not really. If you are doubtful as to what His will is, you can pray for the knowledge of His will. If you pray in faith, God will reveal it to you. Not only can you know God’s will through prayer, but you can be filled with the knowledge of His will. Hear what the apostle prayed for the Colossians:

For this cause we also, since the day we heard[ it], do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;

That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God. (Colossians 1:9-10 KJV)

Why will God fill you with the knowledge of His will? So you can: walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God.

You can know His will if you really want His will for your life. It will take diligence and persistence, but God will not deny the knowledge of His will to anyone who is sincere in seeking it.

Though, finding God’s will in the specific, intimate areas of our lives may not always be easy, there are some general guidelines that should help us.

1. It is always God’s will to Build Character

You have no doubt heard someone say that God is more interested in our character than in our comfort. That is more than a clever saying. God does want to comfort us. That is one of the reasons He sent His Holy Spirit, Whom He called the Comforter. But God’s prime object is to mould us into Christ-likeness.

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. (2 Corinthians 3:18 NKJV)

We may have doubts about some specific aspects of God’s will, but we will never miss the mark if we pray for growth in character. A holy and loving character is God’s design for us.

GOD’S WILL

(c. 1988 By Christopher Shennan)

What is God’s will?…

Is it to travel on the 10.35

instead of the 4.22?

Or travel to India or Asia Minor

Or visit the wild kangaroo?

Perhaps it’s the thing that I choose

For my work,

Or the girl that I troth myself to;

The money I make or the time that I wake;

Or paying the bills that are due.

Or maybe to go to the graduate ball

Or fish with a friend on the lake.

A thousand-and-one-things are claiming

My time…

Oh, what is the course I should take?

I wonder if this or if that is God’s will?

Maybe it is or it ain’t.

Do I go visit with Mary or Bill?

Either I may or I mayn’t.

Now listen, friend, you are surely confused,

You’re missing the point of it all.

You’re tied up in knots and storing up lots

of trouble.

So why don’t you call on the Lord

For His Light on your way?

A great many things may prey on your mind

And claim your attention too;

But only one thing is of real concern:

What kind of a person are you?

It’s character, friend that falls

Into His perfect will.

Character: holy and true.

The things that you do and the places you go

Depend on this:

What kind of a person are you?

For love and holiness;

Kindness and lowliness

Are in God’s perfect will.

So you won’t need to ask,

Where to go?

What to do?

Till you’ve answered this question:

What kind of a person are you?

In the book, How to be a motivated Christian, Stewart Briscoe relates the story of a man who came out of his club and went to